The Niagara Tunnel Project in Ontario, Canada has reached a significant milestone with half of the tunnel now fully lined with concrete. When it is finished, the smooth concrete lining will ensure the efficient and uninterrupted flow of Niagara River water through this 10.2 km tunnel to the Sir Adam Beck generating stations for the next 100 years. Digging the tunnel using the largest hard-rock boring machine in the world, dubbed “Big Becky,” was completed last spring. The Niagara Tunnel is one of the largest hydropower projects in the world and will supply enough clean, renewable electricity to power 160,000 homes when it goes online in 2013. It currently employs more than 400 people and it is estimated it will bring $1 billion in economic benefits to the region. “The Niagara Tunnel Project is an example of how the province ...

April 3, 2012 8:00 am

to

April 4, 2012 6:00 pm

We are pleased to announce that the Ontario Feed-In Tariff Forum will take place on
April 3rd and 4th, 2012 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Following sold-out conferences in 2010 and 2011, the third Forum will bring together FIT contract holders, developers, manufacturers, suppliers, service providers and government representatives to provide critical and timely insight into the impacts of the FIT review and the new landscape for renewable energy in Ontario.

 

This focal point for the Ontario FIT industry will provide:

• Networking with all the key industry players, policymakers and infrastructure experts involved in FIT

• In-depth analysis on the outcomes of the FIT review and new market dynamics in Ontario

• 120+ speakers with dedicated streams on solar, wind, hydro and bioenergy sectors

• Critical updates on key topics including: grid connection, REA, contract rules, pricing, …

Earlier this year Ontario’s Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster (GPIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Regional Development Agency East Netherlands to develop opportunities and advance research in the water technology field. Energy Refuge recently caught up with Lisa Saroli, from Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Investment Division, who spoke to us in the wake of International Water Week conference in the Netherlands, which took place in Amsterdam in early November. ER: In terms of strategy, what can the partnership achieve? LS: The purpose of the MOU is to share knowledge, experience and technologies in their respective jurisdictions to enhance our capabilities to address environmental issues in their respective jurisdictions. The MOU covers water issues such as source water protection and sustainable water use, as well as several other environmental issue of interest to both jurisdictions such ...

The fastest growing solar market in the world is on pause as the Ontario government invites input from stakeholders on its two-year old Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program. Half way through the six-week FIT Program Review initiated by the new Minister of Energy, Chris Bentley, Ontario Solar Network is bringing industry stakeholders together for a special Town Hall Meeting on Monday, November 28, 7:00-9:00 PM at University of Toronto’s OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor Street West. The event is free and advanced registration is recommended. Ontario’s FIT and microFIT program offers “performance-based incentives” (PBIs) to developers and property owners who build solar power plants that add clean, peak power to the province’s electricity grid. As the only major PBI program in North America, the growth of the sector has overwhelmed the government’s abilitiy to manage the program efficiently. The FIT Review will ...

The drive towards alternative energy continues at full steam in Ontario, Canada. According to a report in the London Free Press, Ontario Liberals are pressing ahead with 25 wind and solar projects for the Southwestern region. The announcement was made earlier this week. The projects will produce enough electricity to power a city the size of Windsor. London will host the largest number of projects, or 200 solar farms and 180 wind turbines. The Energy Minister Brad Duguid said in a release that the projects will “create more good jobs for Ontario families and provide new, clean power for local communities to grow and prosper. Our efforts are transforming our electricity system, attracting investment, creating thousands of jobs and building a better future for our children and grandchildren.” The projects will attract about $3 billion in new private investment and will help ...

The Ontario Global Water Leadership Summit opened this morning in Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre to a large audience that converged to discuss the challenges of developing and implementing water technologies, related economic opportunities and its nexus with other areas such as renewable energy, food and the ‘virtual water’, a term that is destined to become common parlance in the near future. “As the 20th century was dominated by oil, carbon emissions became a major issue at the end of that period”, said Glen Murray, Ontario’s Minister of Research and Innovation in his address to the public at the conference. “Water is the next big issue”, he said. “It will be the dominant force in the 21st century.” Water is embedded in every human activity and it’s becoming scarce. It is predicted that one in three people will not ...

Having arrived in Toronto on a rainy Saturday afternoon, slightly dazzled by the five hour jetlag, I woke up today to find an even rainier – and colder – day. It seems to suit the motive of the trip which is the Ontario Global Water Leadership Summit taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday and bringing together some of the leading talent in water technology. Ontario has a plan to become a major renewable energy hub and it also harbors water technology companies, which makes the region a cutting-edge center of cleantech innovation. In February the government of Ontario entered an R&D partnership with PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, to leverage both region’s resources. Water is the very essence of the region. The area is blessed with tens of lakes, the most famous being the homonymous lake Ontario. Lake ...

As of March 15, Ontario’s green energy producers will be subject to a new set of fees for applications they make for feed-in tariff (FIT), microFIT, and other renewable power projects. The province has a rapidly-expanding market for solar, wind, and other clean power sources that has created thousands of kilowatts (kW) of green energy and boosted the careers of workers in these industries. In exchange for the new Renewable Energy Approval fees, the Ministry of the Environment will streamline the approvals process in order to make it easier for businesses, organizations, and individuals to participate in this emerging area in the future. The FIT and microFIT are parts of a government initiative to diversify Ontario’s energy supply mix and to use cleaner forms of energy to replace the province’s coal-fired power ...

A total of 872 MW of new renewable energy will be generating power within one to three years in Ontario, from 40 newly-approved renewable projects, according to Energy minister Brad Duguid. Under Ontario’s Feed-in tariff (FIT), above-market prices are paid under long-term contracts for power generated by renewable energy projects. Ontario offers a generous 44.3 cents a kilowatt-hour for solar and 13.5 cents a kilowatt hour for wind power. The investment will have a negligible effect on individual bills, adding $23 a year (less than $2 a month) for a household using the Ontario average of 800 kilowatt hours a month, according to Bruce Sharp of Aegent Energy Advisors which also advises utilities, cities and businesses on buying power. The 872 megawatts is comprised of 35 solar projects, generating a total ...

Solar energy is more prevalent today than ever before. Worldwide, investors put more than US$1.66 billion into the solar market in 2010, with the United States, France, Israel, and Canada leading the pack. Of late, Ontario has ranked particularly well in the photovoltaic (PV) market, encouraged by government incentives, such as the province’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which launched in October 2009. These incentives have all helped the province’s solar market blossom, creating both more green energy and more demand for those with the requisite solar photovoltaic training. These incentives have also attracted a tremendous amount of investment, both domestically and from abroad, as solar companies scramble to stake their claim in the province’s booming industry. Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. just signed a multi-...